Son of JayJamJah

Ashes to Ashes: A reintroduction to my personal music library

As I have shared with a select few of you, recently tragedy struck my personal life when my home caught on fire destroying our library and den all my PC’s and Stereo equipment and years of books collected and received as gifts. Also my entire digital music library was destroyed and I am forced to slowly piece a nearly 50,000 song collection back together.
So as a way for me to occupy my mind in the wake of this misfortune and to help speed up the process of reorganizing and cataloguing my music online I’ll be adding entries\reviews relating to specific albums as they get there first listen on my new PC in new digital format. The is no ranking, ordering, organizing within the reviews, they really won’t even be reviews in the traditional sense, just a stream of consciousness reaction to the music as I take it in again for the first time.
Thanks in advance and as always reaction, comments, critique and feedback are welcomed and encouraged from the Music Banter community.

Thread Index:

#1 Dig Lazarus Dig - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - page 1
#2 Fevers and Mirrors - Bright Eyes - page 1
#3 Beggars Banquet - The Rolling Stones - page 1
#4 Fight for Your Mind - Ben Harper - page 2
#5 four - Blues Traveler - page 2
#6 Tomorrow The Green Grass - The Jayhawks - page 3
#7 Boston - Boston - page 3
#8 Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul - Otis Redding - page 3
#9 Doolittle - The Pixies - page 4
#10 Morning View - Incubus - page 4
#11 Hurdy Gurdy Man - Donovan - page 4
#12 For Emma, Forever Ago - Bon Iver - page 5
#13 Paris 1919 - John Cale - page 5
#14 Transformer - Lou Reed - page 5
#15 Loaded - The Velvet Underground - page 6
#16 Camper Van Beethoven - Camper Van Beethoven - page 6
#17 The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan - page 6
#18 Bookends - Simon and Garfunkel - page 6
#19 Consolers of the Lonley - The Raconteurs\Saboteurs - page 6
#20 Tommy - The Who - page 6
#21 Comfort Eagle - Cake - page 6
#22 Way To Normal - Ben Folds - page 7
#23 The Exciting Wilson Pickett - Wilson Pickett - page 7
#24 Gimmie Some Lovin' - The Spencer Davis Group - coming soon

__________________
Me, Myself and I United as One

If you're posting in the music forums make sure to be thoughtful and expressive, if you're posting in the lounge ask yourself "is this something that adds to the conversation?" It's important to remember that a lot of people use each thread. You're probably not as funny or clever as you think, I know I'm not.

My Van Morrison Discography Thread

Son of JayJamJah

Album #1: Dig Lazarus Dig (2008)
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Genre: Post Punk
Dedicated to MB Member: Jackhammer

• "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!"
• "Today's Lesson"
• "Moonland"
• "Night of the Lotus Eaters”
• "Albert Goes West"
• "We Call Upon the Author”
• "Hold on to Yourself"
• "Lie Down Here (& Be My Girl)"
• "Jesus of the Moon”
• "Midnight Man"
• “More News From Nowhere"

From the hypnotic title line that welcomes you to the controlled chaos that is this gem of an album; the unorthodox and unforgiving manner in which Cave delivers the endlessly intriguing and metaphorical lyrics of the song set a new standard for cool. The song’s energy is infectious and you’re instantly pulled into the albums soothing abyss of sound. Flash forward to the subsequent track and you’ll feel like mercury in thermometer rising and falling at an unrealistic pace. With a catchy, free spirited chorus and a straight and narrow diversion of a verse placed in between, the song’s drama builds as the tempo and fullness of the music coincides.
What works so well about this album is the thoughtful nature of each track; there are several layers which allow you to discover new elements you enjoy on almost every listen. The lyrics are fascinating and funny and beyond hip. Moonland is the real tantalizer of the bunch; an apocalyptic march with a heart of gold. “…It must feel nice…” The song just sort of shrugs its way along leaving the listener helplessly bobbing his or her head. The entire album oozes style and this song is no exception, with dramatic showmanship and a remarkable understanding of rhythm it’s the mellow highlight of the album for me. The eerie ode that follows, “Night of the Lotus Eaters” is a wraithlike waltz on muscle relaxers. Humming its way from stanza to stanza it soothes and stings simultaneously throughout. The album has a fairly good flow, especially considering its eclectic nature, this is demonstrated as the album moves through the fifth and six tracks some of the most energetic mixes of the bunch. The outro to “Albert Goes West” is great and “We Call Upon the Author” is a brilliant bastard of a song. Just fascinating from the first note, the song mixes instruments, ideas and ingenuity never before combined. It’s like being raped by the 1980’s using Fonzie’s leather jacket as a condom. Cave just sort of throws the lyrics onto the canvas of music; we even get to meet Doug in this song.

“Bukowski was a jerk! Berryman was best! He wrote like wet paper Mache, went the Heming-way weirdly on wings and with maximum pain”

“Prolix! Prolix! Nothing a pair of scissors can't fix!”

Before you can catch your breath you’re supplanted into the Wild West and feverish philosophy. “Hold on (to yourself)” is the song Chris Isaac wishes he was smart and talented enough to have recorded 15 years ago. The melody is mesmerizing and exotic and the lyrics and desperate and delicate the combination is overwhelming and propels the song into the albums top half. Next up is the energetic and jumpy time warp “Lie Down here and be My Girl”, a sort of afterthought for me, but easy to listen to amongst the mass of the album. When you first hear “Jesus of the Moon” you know it’s good, but its mastery is the way it evolves throughout. There is a psychedelic element amongst mundane rhythm and crisp execution. Hauntingly elegant with a flawless style and endless grace a near perfect penultimate number. “Midnight Man” is the penultimate and sets the bar with confidence and precision. You might find this song playing in your head in the middle of a jewel heist, I don’t know, I get that feel. “More news from nowhere” plays appropriately like a closing credits dubbed over with a synth track cut from a late 1980’s Cure album. More beguiling lyrical precision and free spirited feeling encapsulate this song and really the album as a whole. This album is an example or intelligent direction, sophisticated planning and passionate execution. It was my intro into Nick Cave in album form, as I had previously only sampled his soundtrack contributions. It’s a fantastic product and the first one I reached for when I decided to start this project.

__________________
Me, Myself and I United as One

If you're posting in the music forums make sure to be thoughtful and expressive, if you're posting in the lounge ask yourself "is this something that adds to the conversation?" It's important to remember that a lot of people use each thread. You're probably not as funny or clever as you think, I know I'm not.

My Van Morrison Discography Thread

Piss Me Off

A future classic? I seriously haven't heard anything negative about this album at all.

__________________


Last FM
Rate Yr Music
Muxtape

TheBig3

I don't know if it will carry well enough.

__________________
I've moved to a new address

Son of JayJamJah

Album #8: Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul (1965)
Otis Redding
Genre: Soul
Dedicated to MB Member: Everyone under 20

1. "Ole Man Trouble"
2. "Respect"
3. "A Change Is Gonna Come"
4. "Down in the Valley"
5. "I've Been Loving You Too Long"
6. "Shake"
7. "My Girl"
8. "Wonderful World"
9. "Rock Me Baby"
10. "Satisfaction”
11. "You Don't Miss Your Water"

This is a distinct sound, a seminal piece of the Soul collection and one of my absolute favorites. Featuring just two songs credited to Redding; The first two tracks “Ole Man Trouble” and “Respect”. The rest of the tracks are covers from the likes of Sam Cooke, Smokey Robinson, B.B. King, The Rolling Stones and more. Each song is reimagined in a characteristic manner that is pure Soul, pure Otis. Putting my personal bias aside (well maybe not) this album contains the best recorded versions of “My Girl”, “Respect”, “Down in the Valley”, “Wonderful World” and “Satisfaction” of which Redding says "I use a lot of words different than the Stones' version. That's because I made them up".

Released just two years before his untimely passing; the then twenty four year old Redding performed with the gusto and fervor of the young man he was and related the anguish and spirit of an old Soul. His dynamic and dexterous demeanor is evident throughout the album as is his maturing yet still raw delivery. The energetic songs feature a more ferocious and raw tone while the slower numbers feel like a tenderer and methodical Redding delicately improvising over the splendor of the songs construct.

Recorded shortly after the death of his Idol, the album is in many ways a tribute to Sam Cooke. Otis covers “Shake” “Wonderful World” and “A Change is Gonna Come” doing each more then justice. The memory of Cooke’s music is what many claimed motivated Redding to do this album. Producer Issac Hayes described Redding as “…in the zone…” during the recording session. The albums final track “You Don’t Miss Your Water” slides of stage closing a near perfect collection.

__________________
Me, Myself and I United as One

If you're posting in the music forums make sure to be thoughtful and expressive, if you're posting in the lounge ask yourself "is this something that adds to the conversation?" It's important to remember that a lot of people use each thread. You're probably not as funny or clever as you think, I know I'm not.

My Van Morrison Discography Thread

Bulldog

There's a worrying lack of classic soul in my music library, so this is definitely an album I should get my paws on. Good review man

Son of JayJamJah

You want it?

Donate $20 to cancer research sometime in the next year and I'll up for you and PM the link.

__________________
Me, Myself and I United as One

If you're posting in the music forums make sure to be thoughtful and expressive, if you're posting in the lounge ask yourself "is this something that adds to the conversation?" It's important to remember that a lot of people use each thread. You're probably not as funny or clever as you think, I know I'm not.

My Van Morrison Discography Thread

Fruitonica

I think it well could be, it's one of those albums that starts off sounding good and then manages to grow on you more with every listen.

This is looking to be a very interesting thread. Sorry to hear about the fire...

RoemerMW

That sucks. If you need any help re-obtaining certain albums, I'd be more than glad to help.

__________________
My Music Collection

Bulldog

Great review JJJ, and easily my favourite album of the year (from what I've heard of the rest anyway). Looking forward to some more updates man